1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a trailer alignment apparatus, and more particularly, pertains to an apparatus that assists with the alignment of the coupling elements of the towing vehicle with the coupling elements of a trailer or other towed vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Trailer hitches are widely used to couple a towing vehicle and trailer or other object to be towed. A variety of hitches and coupling mechanisms have been devised. No matter the design, the process of coupling the towing vehicle and the trailer or other object to be towed is time consuming. Further, the task usually requires two people to complete the hook-up. There is usually one person driving the towing vehicle and backing it up toward the trailer and a second person who is guiding the driver as the towing vehicle is backed up.
It is known that there are various types of hitch constructions available, as there are various types of couplers, which are attached to the end of the drawbar of a towed trailer. Specifically, there are two main types of drawbar couplers used by the majority of towed trailers. One is the lunette, which is a strong metal circular ring welded to the end of the drawbar. The ring is placed over the hitch ball mounted on the end of a hook shaped projection of the hitch. A closure latch on the hitch is pivotally moved into engagement with the top of the ball and traps the lunette thereon. Normally, the closure latch has a lock associated therewith to prevent the latch from moving upwardly out of its engaged position with the hitch ball.
Another type of coupler is a hooded coupler which has a hollow inverted semispherical-shaped hood mounted on the end of the drawbar. The hood is formed such that it can be placed over the top of the hitch ball and partially encloses the ball when the hood is lowered thereon. The hooded coupler usually will have locking means associated therewith to engage the ball and retain the coupler thereon while the trailer is being towed.
No matter the type of coupler, the majority of trailer hitches on a towing vehicle consist of a hitch ball mounted within a few inches of the rear bumper and at approximate bumper height. At the front end of the trailer terminating the drawbar is a cup or ring designed for receipt of the hitch ball. The ball of the trailer hitch on the back of the towing vehicle fits within the cup or ring on the draw bar of the trailer to be towed. The trailer is designed so that the wheels on the trailer are located between the center of gravity of the trailer and the rear end of the trailer. This means that the drawbar will be forced by the weight of the trailer toward the ground. It is ordinarily supported off the ground by a jack-like device that terminates at the ground end in a small wheel. The jack-like device is ordinarily operated by a crank, which raises and lowers the drawbar of the trailer, so that the height of the cup or ring, which receives the trailer hitch ball mounted on the towing vehicle may be varied by the operator by cranking the jack supporting the drawbar of the trailer either up or down, depending on the need of the operator. For safety reasons, the tongue weight of the drawbar of the trailer ordinarily must be, at least, fifty (50) pounds. For large trailers, it can be substantially more. Therefore, lifting the drawbar of the trailer without the use of the crank, or moving the drawbar laterally, requires considerable strength. Indeed, the strength required may be beyond that of most people for larger trailers or trailers that are heavily loaded. However, the tolerance of the receiving cup or ring on the drawbar and the ball on the towing vehicle trailer's hitch must be quite close in order that the attachment of the trailer to the towing vehicle is secure. Therefore, the ball of the trailer hitch of the towing vehicle must be positioned within a fraction of an inch immediately below the cup or ring on the drawbar of the trailer if the hitching process is to be successful.
With all current forms of hitch construction used when coupling a towing vehicle to a trailer vehicle, the operator of the tractor vehicle is generally unable to see the actual engagement of the hitch ball attached to the towing vehicle with the drawbar attached to the trailer, as the engagement is generally below the rear window of the towing vehicle. As such, when coupling the trailer and towing vehicle, the operator of the towing vehicle must back the hitch ball under the drawbar by either trial and error, or by placing helpers on either side of the trailer directing the towing vehicle operator which way to turn so that the hitch ball ultimately will be positioned vertically below the drawbar so that the drawbar can be lowered onto the hitch ball. As earlier stated, this method of aligning the hitch ball and the trailer drawbar is not time efficient. Moreover, often helpers are not available to guide the tractor operator as the hitch ball is positioned under the trailer drawbar.
In order to reduce the amount of time spent hooking the towing vehicle to the trailer or other object to be towed, guide devices have been developed. The other guide devices have been both mechanical and electrical.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,418,628 is an alignment device for a trailer hitch that has a plurality of pivotally mounted electrical switches that are actuated by the hitch ball of the towing vehicle. The '628 patent is a signal device which has a spherical member and a rod attached to an upper side of a flat base and a plurality of vertical tongues. The spherical member will fasten within the socket portion of the coupling member of the trailer hitch. The rod extends above the flat base and has three orientation lights. The pluralities of vertical tongues are hinged at the bottom of the flat base portion and activate a switch that sends power to the orientation lights. As the vehicle is backed toward the trailer, the hitch ball presses against one of the tongues with the proper tongue causing the center light to come to signal to the driver that he is in position to lower the trailer coupler onto the hitch ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,619 is a two-piece trailer alignment guide. One piece is a trailer cup attachment, which attaches to the trailer cup on the trailer to be towed. Extending vertically above the trailer cup attachment is a set of telescoping rods, which may extend to increase the vertical height of the trailer cup attachment. An alignment indicator is attached to one of the telescoping rods. On the face of the alignment indicator is a spring-activated switch. Above and spaced apart from the spring-activated switch are two green lights, which are shining to help the towing vehicle back correctly toward the trailer cup. The second piece is a towing vehicle attachment, which is affixed to the towing vehicle. This has an activator ball attached to telescoping rods, which are rotatably mounted in a mounting base that attaches to the towing vehicle. Therefore, when the activator ball touches the spring mounted switch on the alignment guide, the towing ball will be oriented, so that as the jack support for the drawbar on the trailer is lowered, then the trailer cup will fit directly over the ball on the towing vehicle. When the activator ball presses the spring-mounted switch on the alignment guide, two green lights stop shining, a red light comes on, and a sound generator makes a noise.
Another two-piece device is set out in U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,229, which is a visual aid system for attachment to a hitch attachment of a motor vehicle to a trailer. The motor vehicle has a first pole cantably affixed onto the hitch connector ball of the motor vehicle. The trailer has a second pole articulated to the hitch mechanism of the trailer so as to move to a position directly above the socket of the hitch mechanism. The first pole includes a pole member, and a receptacle affixed to a lower end of the pole member. The receptacle has a notch formed circumferentially around so as to receive an elastomeric band therein. The elastomeric band is interposed between the ball and the receptacle. The receptacle is cantable about the ball upon contact with the hitch mechanism of the trailer. The second pole comprises a pole member, an articulatable connector pivotally connected to an end of the pole member, and a base affixed to the hitch mechanism of the trailer. The articulatable connector is pivotally connected to the base. The base includes a bracket affixed directly on the hitch mechanism, a clip slidably received within the bracket, and a vertical member affixed at one end to the clip. The vertical member is connected to the articulatable connector. The bracket has a slot with a longitudinal axis aligned with the socket of the hitch mechanism. The clip is slidably received within the slot. A light emitting means is positioned on the first and second poles so as to emit light outwardly from the poles. The light emitting means is affixed at a top of each of the poles. The light emitting means is a cap, which is affixed to the top of each of the poles. The cap is formed of a transparent or translucent material, which contains a dispersion of a phosphorescent pigment therein. The phosphorescent pigment has the ability to emit light after being exposed to an outside light source, such as the headlamp of a vehicle.
Other examples of prior devices for guiding the person backing up the towing vehicle to a trailer or other object to be towed are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,481, U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,056, U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,035, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,357. These devices rely on mechanical devices that are not easily removed after the hitch ball is aligned with the trailer socket, or limited to the size of the hitch ball, or requires too much set up time.
Therefore, a need exists for a trailer hitch guide where a single operator can easily attach and remove a guide that will aid the hitch ball to align in the correct coupling position under the trailer drawbar so that the same may be lowered into engagement with the hitch ball. Further, a trailer hitch guide that can operate with most any form of coupling device used with a towing vehicle and trailer. In this regard, the present invention fulfills this need.